Bottle-capping machine.



C. W. KENDALL.

BOTTLE 'CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-18.1918.

Patented Apr. 1,1919.

6 SHEETS-SHEETI C. W. KENDALL.

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLlcATloN FILED 11m18.191s.

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C. W. KENDALL.

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION F|LD 1m18.191s.

Patented Apr.' 1,1919.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3 C. W. KENDALI..

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICAUON FILED 1AN.1B. 19111.

1,299,855., Patented 1111211919.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

l 1mm/nto@ @3% @item1/215A' W u i z l I C.W.I E|\1DALL.V BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I8. |918.

Patentd Apr. 1, 1919.

6 SHEETSfSHEE'I 6.

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cani. WALKER. minnen., or EneEWArEia HEieHTs, NEW .TENsEY, nssIeNoE 'ro COLUMBIA MACHINE a s'rorrEa co. INC., or NEW Yoan, N. v., a consona- 'HON or NEW Yoan.

` To all whomz't may concern: Y

Beit known that ll, CARL WALKER KEN-l DALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edgewater Heights, county,l of Bergen,.and Stateof New'Jer'sey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements -ln Bottle-Capping Machines, of which the f ol- Y lowing vis a specification, reference b eing had therein to the accompanyingf'drawmgs,

forming part thereof.

This invention is a bottle capping machine of the'classv used in applying that character of 'bottle closure generally Vknown as the crown seal. The objects of the invention are speedl and reliability and eficiency in operation, adjustability to bottles of different lengths, accessibility of its working parts, and comparative cheapness, simplicity, compactness and lightness of'structure. i

Although the accompanying drawings illustrate only one embodiment of the invention,

itsbroad inventive ideas may be diierently embodied in various 4physical structures andv arrangements within the scope oftheappended claims, so that the invention is not limited to the specific illustrated adaptation which will now be particularly described.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a bottle capping 'machine embodyingthe inf vention, the section being taken on the plane indicated by the lines 1, 1 in Figs. 2, 4, 5, 6,

7 and 8.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine looking from al point at the left of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation` from the same view point asFig. 2 andl showing theorbitally revolvinghopper and capping head in a position diferent from its position in Fig. 2, `with a portion of the cap conveyer cut away to display the orbit-link and eccentrics. Y v

Fig. 4 is aifront elevation of kthe .said orbit link and. eccentrics. l "f Fig. 5 is an enlarged front elevation of the cap-feeding mechanism at the lower end of the cap' conveyer, the view being indicated at the lines 5, 5 of Figs. 10 and 11.

Fig. 6 is a partly sectional planview of the machine taken on the plane 6,-6 of Figs. 1,2and7. f

Fig.l 7 is an enlarged fragmentary front of Figs.1, 6, 1 2 and 13.

: Bo'rTLE-csrrrNe Specication of Letters Patent.

Fig. is an Aenlarged fragmentary plan 'View indicated by the view planes 8, 8 of l Patented Apr. il, 19319). 5 Application mea January 1e, 191e. serial No. 212,516.

Figs. 1 and 1 2, the hopper bracket 90 being f removed. e Fig. 9 is a fragmentary rear elevation showm'g the mechanism for rotating the selector disk of the cap hopper, the view being indicated'by the view plane 9 of Fig.y 1, an the plate `72 of Fig. 1 vbeing removed from ythe rack-guiding gear-box 71.

. Fig.l lois an enlarged sectional side elevation of the orbital capping head'taken on the plane 10, 10 bf Figs. 2, 5, 7 and 8.

,Fig 11 is a fragmentary side elevation from the same viewY point as Fig. 10 and looking toward the right side of the capfeeding mechanismof Fig. 5.

Fig.y 12 is a sectional enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the orbital capping head and its orbit link and eccentrics, on the section plane 12, 12 of Figs. 2,4, 5, 7 and 8.

Fig.- 13 is a sectional enlarged fragmen- Itary side elevation of thebottle carriage and conveyer chain, lon the section plane 13, 13 of Figs. 2 6 and 7.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the self-adjusting device of the capfeeding mechanism, the view point being the same as that of Figs, 1 and 12, and the section being taken on the plane, 14, 14 of Figs. 2 and 15'. p i

Fig. 15 is a front elevation of the linkguiding block 48 of Figs.` 1, 12 and 14, with Vthe front plate 49 and link 53 removed.

The main frame castingV 21 carries a bracket uponwhich is mounted the motor 22 which drives the Ivertical main shaft 25 through a spur gearing 2.3 and a woriny gearlng housed in the gear-box 24. Throughv bevel gearings 26, 27, 28, 29,- 30 and 31 the vertical main shaft drives the three hori zontal shafts 32, 33 and- 34 arranged in a common vertical plane.` The shafts 32 and shaft 34 drives the reciprocating bottle carriage.

. 0n the front ends' of the shafts 32 and 33 are,crank disks 35 and 36 whose-cranks or eccentrics 37 and 38 are of equal throw and carry the. vertical pitmanjor orbit link 39,

. upon which the capping head is mounted by 33 drive the orbital capping head, while the i ping headsee Fig. 8. The purposeof this vertically slidable connection between the orbit link andthe capping head is to adjust -the vertical position of the capping head to various elevations above the bottle carriage 115, in order to adapt vthe machine to bottles of various lengths, and the adjustment is `veffected by means of a vertical screw 41 whose thread turns in a lu 40 on the orbit link and whose upper enf? turns in a lug 45 l011 the capping head, the screivvl being. turned by bevel gears 42 and 43 which connect it with the key 44 projecting frontward through the capping head and the middle of the cap conveyer 110. When the vertical position of the capping head has been thus adjusted, it is locked -by'a screwv 92 threaded in one of the lugs 91 to bear on' the gib of the orbit link. A

The construction and operation ofthe double capping head here illustrated are familiar, excepting its orbital movement in a vertical plane, and the following novel features:

The selector disk 75 which feeds the bottle caps from the hopper 76 to the cap conveyers 77, is oscillated by a geared rack 70 pivoted to abracket 69 on the main frame and cap-releasing positions. A` bracket casting A secured on the front side of the springbarrels of the casting head forms bearin s -57 for the rock-shaft 56,and also a gui e 58 for the plunger 62 secured therein by a rear plate 59. Projecting' from the `right side ofthe plunger 62 is a pin 61 engaged by a radial slot in the rock-arm 60 secured on the rock-shaft 56, so that when this rock-shaft is turned by the lever 55 on its left end the plunger w1ll be lowered or raised .to itsI -1ower or upper limit fixed respectively by the lugs 130 and 63 secured on the plunger 1n positions to engage the upper and lower ends of the guide. bracket 58. The actuating rock-arm 55 extends rearward from the rockshaft 56 and is connected by a universal joint 54 with the lower end of the inclined self-adjusting link 53 which in' turn is connected by a sliding universal joint with the anchor bracket 46 on the main frame. This sliding-universal joint shownl particularly in Figs. 14 and 15 comprises a rocking head 47 pivoted to the anchor bracket 46 to swing in a verticalplane, and

a'gui-de block 48 pivoted to 'therocking head by a stud 50 so as -to swingthereon in a plane at righpt angles to said vertical plane, `said guide block forming a channel in which the self-adjusting link 53 may slide beneath the 'front plate 49 screwed to the guideblock 'and having spring chambers 52 counter-bored from the inside to receive ber buttons 51 which are forced against the front surface. of the link by the compression springs in said chambers. As the capping head is orbitally revolved by theeccentrics 37 and 38, the link 53 imparts to the rock-arm 55 that amount of-movement necessary to reciprocate theplunger 6.2 between its stops, and the friction of the liber buttons 51 upon the-link is suiiicient to prevent its sliding in the guide block in this normal operation of the machine; but when theelevation of the capping head is altered by means of the adjusting key 44, the link is forcibly slid in the guide block to assume a corresponding readjustment.

In the'spring barrels ofthe capping head, y

the ejecting spring 79 and the heavier capcrimping spring 8l are employed in the usual manneiybut-the movement of the hollow plunger 80 into the spring barrel 88 is resisted also by a supplemental spring 84 contained in the hollow boss 86 formed on either spring barrel. The supplemental springsurrounds the stem 85 of the supplemental plunger whose head 83 is guided in the bore of the said hollow boss and whose .said stem is guided in a central bore in the plug 87 screwed into'the opening of the -hollow boss..v Thus the supplemental springis compressed between Athe plug and the plan-- ger head 83 so as to force this head inward and against a wear-plate 82 set in the hollow plunger 80' and provided 4with a recess margin forms a` slanting camsurface enlinto which the head fits and whose lower gaged by a corresponding bevel on the edge of the'plunger head. Manifestly, during the initial movement of the hollow plunger 80 into the spring barrel 88, the cam engagement of the wear-plate 82 and spring head 83 must move the supplemental plunger outward against theresistance of the supplemental spring 84 until the head 83 rides out of its co-acting recess in the wear-plate and nds its bearing on the vertical front fsurface of this plate, afterwhich the further upward movement of the hollow plunger -80 will be resisted only 4by the friction of the spring head 83 and the oppositionvof'the verticalfcompression spring 81. In normal operation the hollow plunger 80 does not rise in the spring barrel 88 far enough to ride the supplemental spring head 83 out of the cam recess in the wear plate, but when an unusually high bottle or sti capis encountered the resulting abnormal travel of the plunger 80 into the spring barrel will nascent L' carry the cam surface in the Wear-plate 82 beyondthe-co-acting bevel on the spring headf'83: so asxto reduce thetotal 'resistance' to lfurther rmrvernent and :thus avoidibreak'-, age vof the hott-leur l '1 -The carriage driving shaft 34 is journaled in the carriagebracket 93 secured. on thevr main iranien-and :carries ai crank 113 upon which isf-mounted a roller 114 working in the vertical 'slot`- of a reciprocating 'yoke formed onthefhottlecarriage 115, so as to reciprocate the carriage in response 'to the rotation-of the crank and roller. carriage rides on V-rollers 117 which roll on the Atracks 131 lsecured to the; carriage bracket, and thecarriage is lheld in place by" guide bars 119 :set flush in grooves, in the upper `surfaces of thecarriage and the' bracket and secured to the bracket by screws. Thus the carriage and'biacket andguides are rendered all ushjwith one another, and flush r extensionfplates 120 and 121 areq secured to the carriage and project respectively over the receiving shelf 129 and under the bottle feeding turret 127' so that the bottles may be slid without interference from the turret and over the-carriage and on to the receiving shelf 'The Vradius of the carriage-driving crank 113 jis. the -same as the radii of the equal throw cranks 37 and 38 which carryjthe orbtally revolving capping head, and all three cranks are set in synchronism, softhat the reciprocating movement of the bottle carriage will at all times correspond exactly with the horizontal component of movement of the capping head, whereby the relative movement between the -bottle carriage "and resilient pads 118 are set Hush in the upped surface of the' rcarriage concentrically with. the capping 'heads,j toreceive the bottles l eration.

capping head is reduced to the simple vertical component of the capping head movement. lnother words, there is no relative horizontal movement between the bottle carl r1age and the capping head; and suitable whiie under .the pressure of the capping op;

- shaft secbearing 94 secured to the carriage bracket l' es carries. aspirallgear 96 driving 'a horizontal 1s 1ralgear9 n the vertical shaft99 journaled in a bearing 98 A"formedon the-.carriage bracket. At i ts upper end the :vertical shaft 99' drives the horizontal sprocket i100 which in turn drives the bottle-conveying chain consisting .of altornate finger linjks 102 and connecting links 1,01., and running ,over a right-hand sprocket 132 fired on the upper end of a vertical shaft 103 which turnsin a lbearing 133 formed on the carriagephracket and at its lower end carries a horizontal sprocket' whichdrives the cha1n1242torntateme-sprocket 125 lfixed The bottle fronty en d Go'thecarriae ldriving a crank 113 mountedzon' a smal tion 95;.wh1ch. projects through an /outboard which'in turn drives on the lower end ofthe vertical turret shaft 126 turning in a bearing formed onthe turret bracket .134 secured. toi the4 carriage Ait its upper end'the turret shai't` 126 drives the bottle turret 127 resting on the said turret vbracket and' surmounted by a central curb 128 also mounted on the turret shaft andzturninig with the turret. The tursretis surroundedby an outer arcuate curb 123 suitably secured to the Yturret bracket, and bottles placed on the front' side of the turret are by its rotation carried rearward between its central curb 128 and outer curb 123, and thence leftward toward the bottle carriage. The bottles are thus crowded against a gate 109 which arrests their further movement while the turret slides under them, until the gate is swung leftward by a 'rpcking movement of the shaft 135 which turns in the casting of the outer bottle curb 123 and whose upper end carries the gate and whose -lower end carries an arm with a vertical pin 107 embraced by Each bottle thus engaged-.by the conveyer i chainiscarriedby the chain onto the bottle carriage, and the speed and spacing of the finger links are such that the successive bottles will be carried in successive the cappin head ycomes ydown to seal the bottles... T e finger links move leftward relative to the bottlecarriage'a-nd slide the bottles leftward over. the, carriage until that instant when theI leftward movement of the' carriage, is accelerated up tothe velocity of the iinger links, and'it is at this instantthat the bottles are "centered on the receiving airs on to the centers of the receiving pa s 118 as' pads 118. After this critical instant the `bottles are carried letward ahead of the finger. links -by movement .of the carriage and capping head'while the capping head comes clown-toapply-the caps. After the caps are'applied and the capping head has' vreleased the-bottles, they are again overltaken-by the finger links as the leftward moi-*ement of the carriage is decelerated,and

thereafter the chain conveys the sealed bottles tothe receiving -she1f129. A As aforesaid, the principles ofV the ma chine may be practised in dlerent specific mechanisms within thev spirit of the lnvention and the scope of the following claims: 1. A bottle capping machine com rlsing means includin a-bottle carnage or un- `parting to the ottles a Acontinuous recti linear bottleprogressing movement trans-v versely ofthe length'ot the bottles, a capping head, and means for moving the capping `head to and tromthetbottle carriage to apply the bottle caps and torV concurrently moving the ca ping head transversely with.

the bottles during the capping operation.

2. A bottle capping machine comprisingl `acapping headv and :a bottle carriage an means for moving the capping'head vertically to and from the bottle Acarriage to apply the bottle caps and; for simultaneously moving 4the capping head and carriage together rectilinearly inv a given vertical plane in bottle progressing direction and 'at the samevelocity during the cap-applying action of the capping head.

3. A bottle capping machine comprising a capping head and a bottle carriagebeneath it and means for moving the capping fhead -orbitally in a verticaleplane vorbit' and torrectilinearly reciprocating the carriage horizontally in said vertical plane of the-capping head orbit and at a velocity equalto the horizontal component of. the capping head movement during its cap-applying engagement with the bottle.` .f A A bottle capping machine comprisin two 'vc'rticahplane eccentrics, means for ro-' tating them synchronously in angular phase correspondence,. -a capping head Imonnted on said cccentrics to' be orbitally revolved thereby in a vertical plane.,` a bottle carriage .below the capping head, and means for moving the carriage horizontally in. bottle pro*- gressin'g direction at the horizontal .velocing action. l

5. A bottle capping machine comprising l two vertical-plane eccentrics ot equal throw,`

means for. rotating them synchronously in angular phase4 correspondence,v a capping head mounted onl said eccentrics Ato be orbit-` vally revolved thereby-in a vertical plane, a bottle carriage below the capping head rov vided with a slot, a third eccentric ng in the slot and having a'throw equal to the` trics to Ibe orbitally revolved thereby in 'af vertical plane, and a bottle carriage below the cappmg head and provided with a ver-A tical s ot embracing the lowest of said eccentrics.

A' 'bottle capping machine comprising' an forbit' device and means for revolving it lin a vertical plane orbit, a capping headI combination with ca ity of the capping head its cap-applycappin 1 neonatemounted on the. orbitdevice and vertically adjustable thereon7 a bottle carriage below .the capping head, .and means for rectilinearly moving-the bottle carriage ina vertical plane horizontally with -the`capping head during the lower .part of theorbital revolution of the capping head.;

. 8. -A bottle capping machine comprising two' vertical-plane eccentrics and means tor rotatingthem and a link carried bythe eccentrics ina circular orbita capping head adjustablymounted thereon and means tor l adjusting its'vertical-position on the .t t

'bottle' carriage below the capping-head, an means for reciprocating-the 4bottle carriage in correspondence with vthe horizontal component of the orbital link movement.-

1 9.k The invention claimed in claim 3 in combination with cap storing and feeding means carried with the capping head in its orbitalmovement and including a cap-deeding rotor, a gear connected with theroton and a rack meshing with the gear andpivoted ata nnedpoint whereby to rotate the rotor in response to its orbital movement et translation with the capping head;

vefe

' 10..lhe invention'` claimed in claim.I 4l in storing and needing means carried,v with t e cappin head in its orbital movement and inclu ing a capfeeding rotor, a gear connected with the rotor, and a rack meshing with the gear and pivoted at a 'xed point whereby to rotate l the rotorin response to its orbital movekmentfof translation with the capping head.

1l. -The invention claimed in claim 3 in v combination with cap-feeding' means car- .iiedpwith' the' capping head in its orbital movement, and a link forming an actuative 'i v connection'between said cap-feeding means and a xedjpoint and pivoted so as to ac commodatei the orbital movement of` the capping"head.v

l2. YlPhe-invention claimed in ycla A in combination 'with cap-feeding means carried lwith the capping headan its orbital movement, and a link forming an actuative connection`between said ycap-feeding *means and al fixed point and livoted so as to acJ commodate the orbita .movement ot the head.

13. he invention. claimed' in claim 'l' in combination "with cap-teedin means carried-with the `capping head', 1n its orbital movement, an inclined universally pvoted link forming an actuative connection be-y tween said leap-feeding means and -a ed .point for accommodatingthe orbital movement ont the capping head, and friction sliding means in said connection to accommoate said vertical adjustment of the capping ea 'f 14. The invention claimed'in claim 8 'in combination with cap-feeding means carried with the capping head in its orbital move lll@ iso

ment, anI inclined universally pivoted link forming an actuative connection between said cap-feeding means and a fixed point for accommodating the orbital movement of vthe capping head, and friction sliding means in said connection to accommodate said vertical adjustment'of the' capping head.

15. A bottle capping machine comprising two vertical-plane eccentrics, means for ro tating them synchronously in angular phase correspondence, a capping head mounted on said eccentrics to be orbitally revolved thereby in a vertical plane, a bottle carriage below the capping head, and means for moving the carriage horizontally in bottle progressing direction at the horizontal velocity of the capping khead during its cap-applying action, said. means y,including a third eccentric and a slotted yguide therefor.

- 16. A bottle capping machine comprising three vertical-plane eccentrics of the same radii and tw,o of which are located at a 4the capping head and provided with a vertical slot embracing the lowermost of said eccentrics'.v Y

ln testimony whereof, I have aiiixed my signature to this specication.

CARL WALKER KENDALL 

